Hi friends—
Has anyone else felt things shifting recently? Maybe you’ve been reevaluating things you’ve accepted for a long time, or the established order of your life has begun to feel uncomfortable, unsustainable, or just not enough.
For me at least, what matters has taken front and centre. Perhaps it’s a sign of the times—but even without the specific circumstances we’re living through right now, I think there comes a point for many of us where “what matters” becomes the only metric that, well, matters.
What matters to me is forming meaningful connections—and these are abundant, and daily. Whether in real life or online, the quality of the interactions I enjoy with other people has been the fuel that keeps me going. Of late, the relationships I have formed have been swift, intense, and enriching. To feel reciprocity in the value I give reflected in the value I receive has given me the purpose to get up on days I might otherwise not be able to.
In as much as these connections have been rewarding, the kicker is this: I also no longer have the bandwidth for much else. I experienced this three years ago when I burned out the first time; back then, my only North Star was “What can I do?” I had to look for the only opening in a dark place that allowed me a way out, which was only a faint glow that felt vaguely like the right direction.
This time, the direction is marked not by a glimmer, but lit up in bright flashing lights; it’s a Vegas Strip of technicolour signposts pointing “THIS WAY”. It’s what I’m already doing, and I want to do more of it. The thing is, I’ve never had the courage to make what I really love doing my work.
That’s why I’m making a change to The Percolate, and I want to ask for your support.
I started The Percolate exactly a year ago, in April 2021; I had lost my voice (because 2020) and needed a place to clear my throat and start over. I called it The Percolate because I wanted it to be a distillation of the many learnings and insights that comprised my development process, that I knew would have value for other people navigating similar challenges.
Over the past year, The Percolate has been a vehicle that’s transported me to somewhere entirely different; not new or unknown, per se, because it’s a place that feels familiar and right, as if this is where I was meant to be all along. Many of you have been on this journey with me and I’ve been so grateful that you’ve witnessed and supported my process. The responses I’ve received to the intimacies I’ve shared have provided the encouragement I needed to keep going.
Among the many insights that have surfaced has been a particularly insidious aspect of my character that has held me back all my life. This is my proclivity for “adding value”. It’s a tendency I first uncovered in the aftermath of my burnout, stemming from a belief that my worth comes from the value I provide. This has been fundamentally linked to my discomfort in asking to be compensated for my value. I believe this is a discomfort that many of us—especially women—are familiar with. It has meant that, for most of my career, I’ve given my greatest value away for free.
It’s not an overstatement to say that my days are filled with phone calls, texts, and DMs from people reaching out for support, advice, or simply connection. This has been the case for many years of my career, because I have positioned myself as an available resource. I’ve developed a reputation for having answers because of my willingness to share my own personal experiences, practices, and processes that have allowed me to arrive at those answers.
It brings me delight and fulfillment to be someone who can regularly help those in my network, and beyond, to approach and solve problems for which they might have otherwise needed professional support. It has also occurred to me, on almost every occasion, that the conversations we have are worth sharing because they could provide value for so many others encountering the same challenges.
I’ve decided to put The Percolate behind a paywall for these reasons:
my time
the value of the resources, network, and experience I provide
the exponential value of sharing these resources with a wider audience
This will look like anything from 5EUR/month to 50EUR/year, or any greater amount that you would like to contribute. For anyone who would like to continue to have access to The Percolate but can’t pay 5EUR/month, you can reach out to me and I will make it possible. (There is also a really nice feature which lets you donate subscriptions for those who cannot otherwise afford it. If you’re a giving soul who’d like to do this, I’ve dropped a button at the bottom of the page.)
Outside of The Percolate, I will also be expanding my coaching practice for anyone who feels stuck and wants to navigate the blocks in their life to find their true purpose, as I have spent several years doing myself.
If we’re connected professionally, you might know that I call myself an Authenticity Coach. This is a term I coined to communicate what I truly want for those I work with: to find—and live—their truth. I utilise writing prompts and tools I’ve also used personally for my own process, which I’ll adapt for your specific situation. If this is a process that interests you, I’d love to hear from you—email me anytime at meerabel@gmail.com.
If what I share on any platform—on The Percolate, personally, or professionally—has ever had any value to you, I hope that you’ll be willing to pay at least 5EUR for the fulfillment of my continuing to do so; this is equivalent to buying me a cup of hipster coffee (or a glass of wine) once a month, which is what I usually do when I write. I’m committed to this next phase of my life being one where I support myself by doing what I do best, which is something I want for all of us.
Posts will be more regular, and will take the format of an AMA (Ask Meera Anything, of course). As requested by a lot of you, there will also be an audio version of each post. I will also likely play with other content formats and share anything that I think will be of value to you, based on my experiences and the conversations I have on a regular basis. I’ll also share periodic musings and updates of my own and, if readers want it, I’ll continue sharing Things That Helped as well as Cats That Helped.
My first post will share my answer to a question I receive on an alarmingly regular basis, which tells me there are many more people who need to hear the answer. It’s various iterations of the following:
“I’ve burned out/lost myself/am stagnating. Where do I go from here?”
I really hope you’ll tune in for this, and continue to follow as I share more conversations that I believe will have value for many of you. You’ll also be helping me create an opportunity to support myself by doing what I find most meaningful.
This way to the promised land:
I would also love it if you began to share the posts you found valuable so they reach more people, and/or invited others in your community to subscribe. You can also offer a gift subscription if you think anyone you know might benefit from The Percolate. You should find all of those options when you hit ‘subscribe’.
The fact that this post is coming to you exactly a year to the month after I sent my first post is entirely unplanned, but I guess this is the culmination of one of life’s many poetic cycles. My life now looks unrecognisable from what it did just one year ago, and it makes sense that so much—including what I share with you, how I support myself, and the tools I develop—evolves along with me. Everything is in movement, all the time; we have to keep moving forward in sync with our lives.
For those who want to join me, see you next time—I’m so excited we’re going on this journey together :)
Love,
